Kirk Eady, 47, of East Brunswick, was previously found guilty of one count of intentionally intercepting communications of others following a four-day trial in March before Judge Jose L. Linares, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

Eady also recorded these telephone conversations and never told the other employees he was recording the private communications. These individuals did not consent to their private conversations being monitored and recorded by Eady.

Corrections Officer Latania Freeman, who described herself and Eady as being best friends, testified during the trial that Eady told her he was recording personal calls of people representing corrections officers at the jail.

When the FBI knocked on her door, she agreed to record her conversations with Eady for the feds.

In one of the calls she recorded for the FBI, the jury heard Eady say in his own words, "It's a program called Prank Dial and so it's another app within an app and (with) that app I can listen to people talk. ... It's called Evil Operator. It's meant as a f----ing joke, but I used that app as a great resource, two people talking, you know what I'm saying?"

In addition to the prison term, Linares sentenced Eady to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark, with the investigation leading to today's sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Foster of the U.S. Attorney's Office Special Prosecution Division.